Rio Ferdinand has confirmed that he will retire from England duty to concentrate on his club career and allow younger players to come through the ranks at international level.

The Manchester United defender, who won 81 caps, had informed the England manager Roy Hodgson of his decision, and said in a statement: "After a great deal of thought, I have decided the time is right for me to retire from international football.

"At the age of 34, I feel it is right for me to stand aside and let the younger players come through, which allows me to concentrate on my club career. The team looks in great shape and there is an influx of young, talented players coming through the ranks which bodes well for the future."

Ferdinand became England's youngest ever defender when he made his debut against Cameroon at Wembley in 1997, a week after his 19th birthday and went on to represent his country at three World Cups.

"I regard it as a great honour and a privilege to have represented my country at every level from under-17s upwards," Ferdinand added. "I have always been very proud to play for England.

"I would like to wish Roy and the team all the best for future tournaments. A big thank you to all the fans, managers, coaching staff and players that I have worked alongside – the journey has been incredible."

The veteran defender's Mancheser United contract is up at the end of the season, with Ferdinand keen to thrash out a new one-year-deal with the club. He is expected to seek a similar six-figure sum to his current contract, which earns him around £120,000 a week, with his international retirement following the trend at Old Trafford set by Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs in order to extend their club careers.

That decision was widely interpreted as a snub to Hodgson, who had left him out of the Euro 2012 squad for what the England manager described as "footballing reasons". However, at the time Ferdinand's brother Anton was in dispute with the Chelsea captain John Terry, who he claimed had racially abused him, and it was seen as a convenient way of avoiding friction within the squad.

Ferdinand won the last of his caps in June 2011 against Switzerland. Hodgson said: "I was disappointed about it when he couldn't accept the invitation and it was a pity it couldn't come about this time but we move on with this squad of players."

With England's squad for the friendlies against Ireland and Brazil set to be announced on Thursday, it means Hodgson will have to look at alternatives at centre-back, given Chris Smalling is injured and Joleon Lescott is out of form.

England's manager, however, was keen to praise Ferdinand's achievements. "It is important to pay tribute to someone of Rio's stature and the achievements he had in a senior international career with England over 14 years at the highest level", said Hodgson. "To have captained his country, to play at three World Cups and indeed score in one of those, marks him out amongst a very special group of players.

"I appreciated the call from Rio to inform me of his decision, which clearly he had spent much time considering before reaching this point. I wish him all the best in his club career, and I'm sure the former managers he played under and every England fan will join me in thanking him for his service."